'The Best of All Possible Worlds': An hour with a consummate storyteller

Fringe stalwart David Mann is a consummate storyteller and this year’s offering is no exception. Through an engaging mix of self-deprecating humor, droll impersonations and occasionally aching personal revelations, he spins the tale of his foray into parenthood and financial responsibility with assurance and authenticity. As he recounts his attempts to create a sense of home for himself and his family while scrambling for a living in the world of corporate motivational speakers and “big, huge life insurance,” the range of emotion he conjures — from guffawing hilarity to bittersweet pain — is always compelling. (5:30 p.m. Sat., 8:30 p.m. Sun., 7 p.m. Fri. Aug. 11, 10 p.m. Sat. Aug. 12, Phoenix Theater, 2605 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.)